Your Guide to Playing Magic at MagicCon

The bulk of Magic: The Gathering Play at MagicCon takes place in the form of scheduled events! There are over 100 different events to register for, featuring a wide variety of formats, products, and special rule sets! Explore the full schedule here to find the events that are best for you! 

Casual and competitive players alike will find an event scheduled for them. All events are marked in the schedule with a playstyle tag to help define the target audience for that event:

• Social: You want to have fun with friends while playing. You prioritize doing fun or exciting plays and creating enjoyable game states. You ultimately don’t care if you win or lose.
• Competitive: Your goal is to win the game and to do so as efficiently as you can. You enjoy clashing with other decks, making tough decisions, and navigating complex interactions. NOTE: Events with this tag do not automatically require decklists or necessarily run at competitive REL. Please refer to each event description for full details.
• Challenging: A mixture of these two groups. You want to win to some extent, but you always want to have an enjoyable and relatively simple game state. 

The Command Zone is a free play area for players to play Commander and is a great place to meet new friends. Judge Staff are available to answer your rules questions and assist with matchmaking by providing ‘Looking for Game’ signposts to ensure you find the pod that’s right for you!

Players of all skill levels, from beginners to Competitive Commander, can enjoy the Command Zone! By utilizing the Commander Bracket System  you will always be able to find a game where everyone is on the same page and looking for a similar gameplay experience. 

On-Demand Events are quick-play experiences that can launch continuously throughout the weekend without a set schedule. These events are perfect for players who wish to play games for prizes on a more flexible schedule than traditional Ticketed Play events. They include booster drafts, commander pods, and 60-card constructed events. 

Ticketed Play Events designated as Leagues are special weekend-long sealed events where players can build their decks and play games with an open-ended schedule. Players may check in with the League Desk located at the Red Stage to receive their product and begin playing immediately! League events include Commander and Cocktails, Savvy Traders, and Commander Boxing League.

League Play is available all weekend long in the red area, recognizable with the use of red table clothes. There are also specific scheduled times for certain League events, which are played in the Ticketed Play area. 

Areas dedicated to open and unstructured Magic play for players to self-direct and play their favorite formats, or trade cards with new friends. Ideal for experimental or fan-created formats, cubes, or pack wars! Located at various locations throughout MagicCon. Check the map for the locations of Free Play areas or visit dedicated play areas such as Command Zone.